Tuesday, 24 June 2014

House of Memories

Museums
have never been so vital to us as they are today: the physical custodians of
all that has mattered over the ages; totems for the community and for culture
at large, framing its evolution within their walls and archives, they also
offer precious opportunities to sit or muse, to share the same
three-dimensional space with their collections while we contemplate their
making and their meaning. As the world moves to the overwhelmingly virtual
(with handheld devices facilitating more and more of our work, education,
entertainment and friendships), I think we need to realise how much our
identities as a species are wrapped up in the objects and places and people
that have surrounded us. So I applaud an initiative by National Museums of Liverpool
(NML) to bring the wealth of their physical collection of objects, texts, film
footage and photography to life in virtual form so that those whose memories
and identities are being ravaged by Dementia can have the world they still
inhabit brought back into focus.

I was
privileged to attend the House of Commons launch last week of the My House of
Memories, a free App developed by NML, with the help of Innovate Dementia, the
Department of Health and a great number of carers for people with Dementia, along
with the Dementia sufferers themselves.

Health Minister Norman Lamb with NML's Carol Rogers andDavid Fleming, at the House of Commons launch

It was
inspired by a House of Memories toolkit developed by NML two years ago,
comprising a series of exercises and engagement topics developed using NML’s
extensive local history collection, to help start conversations and improve
relationships for Dementia sufferers and their carers.Around 5,000 carers in the North West and
Midlands have been trained to use it so far. But the launch of the App is
potentially taking this inspirational idea to a massive new audience. The App,
designed by former Sony games designer Dave Burrows, provides a simple,
accessible route into a fine-tuned range of topics, identified through
workshops as the ones most likely to generate a response (they include music,
entertainment, family life and local history). Through these topics users can
access 110 objects, 350 photographs and 30-40 videos and sound clips, providing
thousands of hours of potential conversation, with features that help users to
create their own personal mini-Museum, including a personalised Memory Tree.

Launched
on itunes last month (with 500 downloads in the first couple of weeks), there
is interest from Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and even as far as Brazil. Content
can be adapted for each nationality, region or city.

The App is all about ease of use, with pink and white having the strongestimpact for text or background

As with
so many acts of great generosity, the benefits will hopefully ricochet back to
the creators, not just in increased recognition for NML and the chance to play a role
in the fight to preserve life quality for those with Dementia, but also with
physical visitors to Liverpool’s museums, which already host ‘Meet me at the
Museum’ events for the elderly. But, most of all, the App and its wider uses
demonstrate - ironically, through their new virtual platform - the ongoing relevance and value of three-dimensional museums to their communities.

I have written about the power of good design for 20 years, for a whole variety of specialist design and architecture magazines, plus consumer design magazines and newspapers. I recently completed an MSc in Environmental Psychology, to achieve a better understanding of how buildings and places impact on people - and vice versa. As a result of my investigations, I have become an even more passionate advocate of socially as well as environmentally sustainable design. I hope to use my MSc research skills to help bring about positive outcomes for design and architecture schemes and their inhabitants, acting as a consultant, collaborator and communicator.